As a result of our R&D over the past few years, today Maps
has a versatile product range of enzymes for the baking industry.
Apart from individual enzymes like amylase, xylanase, protease,
cellulase, we also have a range of tailored enzyme cocktails (mixtures
of different enzymes) to solve problems in certain baking applications.
Our customers for our baking enzymes are the baking improver industry
or the milling industry, the Wafer, Biscuit and Cracker industry,
etc.

Like all other living material, the cells in cereal grains used
for flour contain enzymes. The most important enzymes in flour
are the amylases and proteases. However, the quantities of these
enzymes are not always ideal for baking purposes and supplementary
enzymes often need to be added.

Bread-making

Bread is the most common and traditional foods around the world.
But bread actually has close links with enzymes. For years, enzymes
such as malt and fungal alpha-amylase have been used in bread
making. Due to the changes in the baking industry and the ever-increasing
demand for more natural products, enzymes have gained real importance
in bread-making.

The dough for bread, rolls, buns, etc. consists of flour, water,
yeast, salt and other ingredients such as sugar and fat. Flour
consists of gluten, starch, non-starch polysaccharides, lipids,
etc. When the dough is made, the yeast starts to work on the fermentable
sugars, transforming them into alcohol and carbon dioxide, thus
rising the dough.

In the beginning, the fermentation goes smoothly whether sugar
has been added or not, because flour always contains a certain
amount of fermentable sugar. But when this has been used up, the
fermentation process will cease unless new supplies of sugar are
made available to the yeast.

Amylases degrade starch and produce small dextrins for the yeast
to act. Gluten is a combination of proteins, which form a large
network during dough formation. This network holds the gas in
dough proofing and baking. The strength of this network is very
important for the quality of all bread raised by yeast. Enzymes
such as proteases, xylanases and lipases directly or indirectly
improve the strength of the gluten network and so improve the
quality the bread.

A small percentage of pentosans (non-starch polysaccharides)
are present in flour. Pentosans have an important role in bread
quality due to their water absorption capability and interaction
with gluten, which is vital for the formation of the loaf structure.
By hydrolysing the pentosans using some enzymes like hemicellulase,
pentosanase or xylanase, the dough becomes easier to handle and
the resulting bread has a bigger loaf volume and an improved crumb
structure

Maps offers a range of amylases, proteases and xylanases for bread-making
and dough improvement

Alpha amylases have significant effects on baked goods. If the
content is low, this leads to low dextrin production and poor
gas production. This in turn results in inferior quality bread
with reduced size and poor crust colour.

To compensate for the deficiencies of the grain, it is necessary
to add either sugar or alpha amylase.

The addition of enzymes offers certain advantages over sugar.
At a flour mill, it is possible to standardize the enzyme content
of the flour so that a uniform commodity can be supplied. Furthermore,
enzymes bring about a gradual formation of sugar, which matches
the needs of the yeast. When the dough is placed in the oven,
the steadily increasing temperature leads to an increase in the
enzymes' rate of reaction and more sugar is produced.

Malt flour and malt extract can be used as enzyme supplements
as malt is rich in alpha amylases. However, it is better to use
a fungal alpha amylase.

The alpha-amylases degrade the damaged starch in wheat flour
into small dextrins, thus allowing yeast to work continuously
during dough fermentation, proofing and the early stage of baking.
This result in improved bread volume and crumb texture. In addition,
the small oligosaccharides and sugars such as glucose and maltose
produced by these enzymes enhance the reactions for the browning
of the crust and baked flavour.

Maps offers a range of amylases and xylanases for flour supplementation,
each with its own special properties which work to obtain specific
needs of wheat flour.

Another application of enzymes in baking is in the production
of biscuits and crackers. The requirements of the flour are altogether
different from those in bread-making; a 'soft flour' which produces
a dough with pronounced plastic properties is preferred. For this
purpose, flour with relatively low protein content is desirable.
The gluten protein structure should not be too strong, otherwise
the dough will be too difficult to handle.

Unless flour with these properties is available, it is necessary
to add an agent to weaken the gluten. Reducing agents (substances
which have the opposite effect to oxidizing agents) have been
used for this purpose, in particular sodium bisulphite. The bisulphite
has the desired effect on the gluten, but unfortunately it affects
other substances in the flour, including the content of vitamin
B1 (thiamine). This vitamin is completely or partially destroyed.
Sodium bisulphite has been banned in certain countries and is
becoming less popular due to health risks.

An alternative is the application of a protein-degrading enzyme.
This softens the gluten without affecting the other constituents
of the dough. Several fungal and bacterial proteases can be used
for this purpose. Proteases can also be used when making bread
with 'hard flour' i.e. flour high in gluten protein.

Maps offers a range of proteases for production of biscuit and
crackers